right realist causes of crime

Right realism core ideas

Four causes of crime

Biological differences, socialisation, rational choice and routine activity theory

Realists see crime as a problem that needs to be

Tackled

They are glue there is an increase in crime rates and they’re concerned about its impact on victims.

Realists see crime as a problem that needs to be

Tackled

They are glue there is an increase in crime rates and they’re concerned about its impact on victims.

Right realism emergence

1970s/1980s when politics shifted to the right

Reject impact of structural factors in creating crimes, focus on the individual crime

These governments favoured rolling back the welfare state with a strong commitment to law and order.

‘Get tough’ stance on crime.

‘Short, sharp shock’ approach to dealing with young offenders

Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan

Biological differences

Wilson and Herstein 1985

Wilson and Herstein 1985

Biological differences

Crime is caused by biosocial factors

Personality traits like aggressiveness, risk taking, or low impulse control - higher risk of offending - result of low intelligence and also biological predispositions.

Bio differences - more likely to offend because

Police may act on typifications/stereotypes

More difficult to control urges

Makes a link between WC and crime

Lombroso

Bio differences - Wilson and Herstein link

Favours a biological approach to crime. Your physical/physiology makes you predisposed to commit crime.

Socialisation

Argues that the breakdown of social institutions such as the nuclear family and the over generous welfare has led children to be inadequately socialised.

• leads to people committing crimes as they lack positive role models (particularly in matrifocal families) so they don’t know right from wrong.

Murray

Socialisation

Identifies distinct lower class subculture both in the UK and US where people take part in deviant behaviour and fail to socialise their children properly.

He calls this the underclass

Socialisation - more likely to offend because

People don’t know right from wrong - haven’t been taught social norms and values

Doesn’t consider other agencies of socialisation

Rational choice

Clarke 1980

Felson 2002

Clarke 1980

Rational choice

The decision to commit crime is a choice based on rational calculation of the likely consequence.

• If the perceived rewards are higher than the perceived costs/consequences of crimes, or if they appear greater than non-criminal behaviour, then people will be more likely to offend

Can be stopped by target hardening

Felson 2002

Rational choice

Routine Activity Theory - for a crime to occur, there must be a motivated offender, a suitable target (victim/target) and the absence of a ‘capable guardian’ (police/neighbour)

Can be stopped by target hardening

Criticisms

Structural causes aren’t taken into account, it is very individualistic.

Doesn’t take into account crimes committed due to social change such as protests

Assumes that rich/wealthy people do not commit crime - argue the risk for their community is higher than the rewards they may get

Assumes we are in a value consensus and that there’s a lack of peer/structural power